Friends and Enemies
by 1991Kira
Summary: Commander Shepard doesn't like turians, period. But will she be able to look past her prejudices and find an ally in Garrus Vakarian? ME1, slightly AU, Pre-Shakarian. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

Commander Shepard did not trust Garrus Vakarian.

Not even in the slightest.

Shepard was no xenophobe, not really. She was a spacer brat through and through, having spent so much of her time on spaceships floating in the void of space, that the very idea of living on a planet was completely foreign to her. The galaxy as a whole was her home and she had no problems whatsoever sharing it with the asari, the salarians. . . hell, even the ever-annoying hanar.

But turians on the other hand. . .

Turians had been the bogeymen of her childhood. With both her parents, and nearly all of their family friends, having fought in the First Contact War, she had practically grown up on stories of turian brutality and viciousness. The fact that the Turian Hierarchy had balked at paying reparations to humanity even after everything that happened at Shanxi was, in Shepard's opinion, proof that they continued to look down upon humans and cared little for their presence in the galaxy.

The attack by Saren Arterius, a _turian_ Spectre, on a peaceful human colony like Eden Prime just to get his hands on a hunk of Prothean metal only served to vindicate her on this matter.

Naturally, when Anderson suggested she take Garrus Vakarian with her on The Normandy, her response had been, "I don't need a turian shooting me in the back when I least expect it, Sir."

Shepard grimaced slightly. She really shouldn't have mouthed off to Anderson like that. The Captain had been nothing but good to her, even going out of his way to give her much needed guidance during her N7 training. He'd also gotten her a rather prestigious posting on the Normandy SR1, something any officer in the Alliance would have killed for. He had even handed over command of the ship to her without a single word of complaint. She owed him more than she could ever hope to repay.

So what if she had to face a little bit of flak for bringing a turian aboard an Alliance vessel? Heck, if half of what she'd heard about Anderson's history with Saren was true, there was no one out there who deserved to hold a grudge against turians more than him. Yet, _he_ had been the one to recommend Vakarian for her team.

She sighed. She could only pray that she'd be half as open-minded as him by the time she got to his age.

Besides, it wasn't like she was expected to do bring him on the field with her or something. The turian officer had made himself at home in the cargo bay, fiddling with Mako, and as far as she was concerned he could stay there. She was under no obligation to entertain him or his preferences; she didn't owe him a damn thing, and as long as he stayed out of her way they'd get along just fine.

She only hoped he was smart enough to figure that out for himself before she'd have to spell it out for him.

* * *

FUBAR.

Shepard was never one to use that term lightly. After all, in her career as an N7 commando she was expected to deal with less-than-ideal situations on a daily basis.

But right now there was simply no other way to describe her mission on Therum.

The mission to rescue Liara T'Soni from a Prothean ruin had been a disaster of epic proportions. Between the scorching heat and molten lava, the krogan battlemaster with an army of geth and the ancient ruins collapsing on top of them, it was a miracle she and her team had escaped in one piece.

 _Way to go, Jane. Your first mission as a Spectre and you succeeded in blowing up half a planet! That'll be one for the record books, all right._

And what had all her efforts gotten her? A ditzy asari nerd with zero social skills who had, literally, been living under a rock for the past few decades!

 _Prothean expert, my ass!_

It was bad enough that T'Soni had nothing new to add to their mission in the way of information, now the Council and even her own crew was questioning her on the wisdom of allowing Matriarch Benezia's daughter free run of the ship! Shepard scoffed in anger. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could tell that she knew nothing about her mother or Saren's plans, and the day someone like T'Soni became a master of espionage would be the day Shepard'd start kissing turians.

 _Oh Commander, I'm so sorry for being such a nerd and knowing nothing about the Protheans, despite spending fifty years digging up their graves!_

She knew she was being childish, taking out all her frustrations on the young asari. But what else was she supposed to do? When she'd been given her new Spectre status and command of the Normandy, she'd been practically giddy with excitement. But it was only now that she realized how little she had in the way of resources.

Saren was out there, with that behemoth of a ship and an army of geth at his command. His experience in running operations of this kind meant that even without his Spectre status he was more than capable of continuing with his plans. It didn't hurt that he had a powerful asari Matriarch backing him up with her considerable resources either.

And what did she have to throw against that? A ship that, while useful for reconnaissance, would be absolutely useless in a straight-up firefight; a ground team consisting of a biotic boy-scout with health issues, a loud-mouth marine, a bloodthirsty krogan mercenary and a quarian techie who was practically a _kid_?

How the hell was she supposed to beat Saren again?

 _Get a grip, Jane. Getting frustrated this early in the game will only cause trouble._

Shepard sighed. She was being too hard on herself and her crew.

Despite the clusterfuck of a mission, she had to admit the ground team had outdone themselves out there. Given how Wrex had gone toe-to-toe with that other krogan, she felt the old warrior had pretty much earned his place on her ship; Tali was steadily becoming Shepard's favorite because of her mad hacking skills; Williams was a little rough around the edges but had some real potential in her; and with Liara on the team, maybe she could take some pressure off the lieutenant in the biotics department.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she had very little in the name of resources, and neither the Alliance nor the Council seemed eager to give her any more help than they already had. Given how closely her performance as a Spectre was being monitored, it wouldn't be in her best interests to constantly keep prodding her superiors for more aid.

Of course, that meant she'd have to do the best with what she already had.

She sighed deeply as she opened the file on Garrus Vakarian that Alliance intelligence had forwarded to her. She'd _really_ hoped it wouldn't come down to this.

Her eyebrows shot up into her hair.

 _Huh. . . interesting._

* * *

 **AN: This story is based on my first playthrough of Mass Effect. I hope to incorporate a more realistic dynamic between the characters, especially Shepard and everyone's favorite turian.  
**

 **To that end, I'll be taking some liberties with the story and the characters. My aim is to make Shepard seem like more like the battle-hardened soldier she's supposed to be. That means she's going to be more thick-skinned, more Alliance centric and pro-human, and more pragmatic in her outlook towards situations and other characters. Of course, she's not going to stay that way, since there'll be character development and all. Just don't expect her to turn into a mushy, emotional, goody-two shoes paragon; neither do I plan to turn her into a psychopath renegade. I'm aiming for a middle ground here.  
**

 **I'm also going to take a more logical approach to the whole FemShepxGarrus thing. Its always bothered me how well Garrus and Shepard seem to get along with each other in the story, considering their species were fighting each other barely a few decades ago. So yeah, that means Garrus is no longer going to start looking upto Shepard because she's so awesome and all, and Shepard's not going to become his mentor anytime soon (if at all).  
**

 **This project is going to be a pretty long one, so please don't mind the infrequent updates. Enjoy :)**


	2. Chapter 2

To Garrus Vakarian, she was simply _The Human_.

Not ' _Commander_ ', he certainly did not care about whatever fancy titles the Alliance bestowed upon their poster-girl; not 'Shepard', he certainly did not feel any kind of familiarity or kinship with that woman (plus, there was a good chance she'd throw him out the airlock for daring to be so casual with her); not 'Ma'am', she hadn't done anything to earn his respect so far.

No, she was simply The Human. It was easy to think of her that way. After all, she was supposed to be the best example of her species; and if Garrus had to be honest, a very _accurate_ example.

Garrus Vakarian was no fan of humans in general; he doubted there was anyone out there who was. They were loud, brash, annoying and seemed to think they had some Spirits-given right to rule the galaxy, despite having entered the galactic scene barely a few decades ago.

Oh, it wasn't like he was a xenophobe or anything! Unlike most of his people, Garrus did not hate the humans merely on principle. His time in C-Sec had taught him well enough that it took all kinds of people to make the galaxy what it was; and indeed, if Garrus were completely honest with himself, even humanity had some truly remarkable individuals. There was Dr Michel, the soft-spoken and kind-hearted woman who ran the clinic down in the wards, constantly having to deal with the worst kind of scum and still somehow finding a way to help those unable or unwilling to find medical aid elsewhere on the Citadel; then there was Captain David Anderson, truly one of the best officers Garrus had ever had the pleasure of meeting, more honest and more honorable than most turians these days.

He nodded to himself. These kind of people were truly the best example of humanity in the galaxy, people one could be proud to know.

Shepard on the other hand. . .

He grimaced, thinking about their first meeting, in Michel's clinic.

" _What the hell were you thinking? You could've hit the hostage!"_

 _He narrowed his eyes at her. Did she think he was some kind of amateur!? Or did she think he genuinely didn't care about Michel's well-being?_

" _This isn't the first time I've ever handled a hostage situation, Commander. I'd have never taken the shot if I wasn't a hundred percent certain." He ignored the scowling marine. "Dr Michel, are you all right?"_

" _I'm fine, Garrus," she smiled weakly at him. "Thanks to you. . . ."_

 _He guided her gently to a nearby seat and listened to her tell them about the quarian she'd treated. He was irritated with her for not having the presence of mind to call him first, but decided to let it slide for now._

" _Commander, wait," he called out to her retreating figure. "This is your show, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you."_

 _She turned to around to glare at him. "No."_

 _He scowled at her. Did she seriously think he was asking for her permission!? Still, his C-Sec training dictated that he be polite at all times._

" _I assure you, I am more than capable of taking care of myself in a firefight. You'll need to all the help you can get if you're going after Fist."_

" _I don't need to justify myself to you," she said tartly. "If I say no, then it's a no."_

 _He ground his teeth in frustration. This was how she wanted to play it? Fine then!  
_

" _Very well," he sighed dramatically. He was aware of the human female behind the Commander smirking vindictively at him. He slowly removed a pair of omni-cuffs. "Commander Shepard, I am hereby taking you and your associates into custody. Please put your weapons down on the floor and turn around with your hands over your head."_

" _What?" Shepard took a step back in shock. Behind her, the other female's smirk was wiped off her face._

" _You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be. . . "_

" _Cut the bullshit! What're you arresting_ _ **us**_ _for!?" she demanded.  
_

" _Obstruction of justice, reckless endangering, murder. . . take your pick." He was enjoying himself._

" _You can't. . . ."_

" _I_ _ **can!**_ _You see, you three just forced an innocent civilian into a hostage situation and then shot dead two men in full view of a C-Sec officer." He glare at her. "Last time I checked the Systems Alliance doesn't have any jurisdiction on the Citadel,_ _ **Commander**_ _."_

" _ **We**_ _forced her into a hostage situation? Are you cra. . .?"_

" _I was watching the whole damn time," he cut her off sharply. "Those men were grunts. The doctor deals with people like them thrice a day here in the lower wards. They hadn't even drawn their guns, for Spirits' sake! Had you simply stayed back, they would've left without causing any trouble. Instead you barged in here guns blazing, and forced them into a showdown; and now you have the audacity to tell me how to do my job?" He scoffed at her. "Just who do you think you are!?"_

 _He could see his words making an impact on her, but she wasn't one to back down easily. "You won't be able to prosecute us!"_

 _He grinned at her. "You're right, I can't. What I_ _ **can**_ _do is put you in a holding cell while I sort out all the paperwork; and believe me, with all the red-tape involved, you'll be lucky to get out before the end of the week."_

 _He waited for her to call his bluff. No doubt she was aware that the Alliance wouldn't let their beloved poster-child stay in a cell for more than a few hours at most. To his surprise however, she seemed to be considering his request._

" _You're a turian. Why d'you want to bring him down?"_

 _He blinked at her in shock. What kind of a stupid question was_ _ **that**_ **!** _? Just because he was a turian, he couldn't help bring other turians to justice? Spirits, was she really the best humanity had to offer?_

 _He decided to go with the diplomatic answer. "Saren's a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people! I'll do whatever it takes to bring him to justice."_

 _She sized him up for a moment before nodding, and taking a step closer, right into his personal space. "Fine. But on the field, you'll follow_ _ **my**_ _orders, understand?"_

 _To his credit, Garrus didn't back down. "As long as no innocent bystanders are endangered, then yes, I do."_

 _She glared at him for a few moments before turning around and stalking away. Garrus simply sighed. This was going to be a long day._

* * *

When Shepard had been appointed a Spectre, he had honestly been glad to see the last of her. But he couldn't help the slight feeling of resentment when she invited both the quarian and the krogan to accompany her on the hunt for Saren, completely ignoring him standing right beside them. It didn't help that the other female marine, Williams, was looking at him smugly, as though daring him to say something aloud.

He'd merely snorted in a bemused fashion. The first human Spectre didn't even have the basic courtesy of thanking him for his assistance with the investigation; he'd be foolish to expect an invitation to join them on her ship. Still, he couldn't help but feel slightly resentful that they were going to go off cavorting across the galaxy to fight Saren, while he'd be stuck at his desk handling all the paperwork for weeks to come.

Still, he had done his duty and the end of the day that was all that mattered.

The meeting with Anderson though had been an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.

" _Mind if I join you, Officer Vakarian?"_

 _He turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see David Anderson standing beside his table with a drink in hand._

" _Captain Anderson! Please, go ahead!" He smiled the first genuine smile of the day._

 _Anderson was probably the only human officer Garrus genuinely respected. The man had taught him a few important lessons back when he'd still been a rookie cop, and Garrus always considered himself to be in the man's debt._

" _Didn't get the chance to talk to you earlier back there." Anderson sat down heavily beside Garrus. "Sorry about that."_

" _Its fine, Captain. I can understand what kind of pressure you must've been under."_

" _Indeed. Haven't had such a rough day since the last time I'd been in the field," he grunted. "Still, I'm glad it's all over. Thanks to you, I may add."_

" _I didn't really do all that much, Sir," Garrus rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, a nervous gesture he'd picked up from dealing with humans._

" _You're too modest for your own good, Garrus," Anderson smiled at him._

 _He sipped his drink. "What're you doing here, anyways? Shouldn't you be getting ready to board the Normandy?"_

" _I'm. . . not going aboard the Normandy, Captain," Garrus said uncomfortably._

" _Why not? I thought you'd jump at the chance to get away from all that paperwork?"_

" _The Commander didn't ask me join her crew. I have a feeling she doesn't like turians all that much." Garrus winced at the bitterness in his voice. He'd forgotten that Shepard was supposed to be his protégé._

 _Anderson however, tactfully chose to ignore his implications. "Hmm, I see," he said thoughtfully. A pause. "Garrus, do you_ _ **want**_ _join to the Normandy on their mission?"_

 _Garrus stared at him in surprise. "I don't know, sir. The Commander made it clear. . . "_

" _I'm not asking about Shepard. I'm asking you if_ _ **you**_ _want to join the Normandy or not? Simple."_

 _Garrus scratched his mandible thoughtfully. If he had to be perfectly honest with himself, while he didn't really like the prospect of working under Shepard, the idea of joining the SSV Normandy was really tempting. The Normandy SR1 was a one-of-a-kind vessel, a product of joint co-operation between the turians and the humans, a true marvel of engineering. The very idea of getting to work up close and personal with a Council Spectre on a ship like that was extremely enticing._

 _Still, he had no idea why Anderson was extending an invitation to_ _ **him**_ _, of all people. But he trusted the man, so he said the only thing he could._

" _Yes, I'd like to join the Normandy, Captain."_

 _Anderson simply gave him a wide smile. "Then go grab your stuff and report to docking bay D-24 ASAP, Officer Vakarian; and don't worry about the Commander, I'll talk to her."_

 _Garrus merely grinned at him and nodded._

* * *

That had been three weeks ago.

He had no idea what Anderson had said to her, but Shepard had allowed him onto the ship without causing too much of a fuss. She hadn't even given him any crap about going to her superior behind her back or anything, which honestly surprised him.

No, she'd simply ignored him.

That suited him just fine actually. He was tired of the suspicious and borderline hostile looks the rest of the human crew were giving him, he didn't want to deal with her crap on top of that. He'd decided to spend his time on the ship working on the Mako, partly to keep his mind occupied and partly because unlike the krogan, he didn't want to seem like a freeloader.

He honestly didn't have much expectations of the human Spectre. In his opinion, she had made her position perfectly clear when she deliberately ignored him while making her frequent rounds on the ship. It really wasn't that hard to notice how she took particular care to speak to every single member of her crew, even the reticent krogan, but refused to so much as glance in his direction.

Naturally, when he was the only one left out of the team for the mission on Therum, he hadn't been surprised, _at all_.

And while he was extremely irritated to find a severely beat-up Mako returning to the ship after the mission, a small, vindictive part of him secretly rejoiced to hear that the mission had gone a lot worse than expected.

The destruction of a major Prothean ruin was something that had really shocked him, however. He knew a thing or two about collateral damage, but this was just ridiculous!

 _But what can you expect from_ _ **that**_ _human in particular?_

Still, how the Commander chose to conduct her missions was her problem. After all, when he wasn't even invited to accompany her, why should _he_ care?

Still, it couldn't help but grate on him that he'd gone from being a C-Sec paper pusher to a glorified mechanic aboard a _human_ vessel. His fault, of course; he'd been rather hasty in making this decision. He shouldn't have expected The Human to treat him with fairness, he shouldn't have...

"Vakarian! Suit up, you're on the ground team to Feros."

He blinked at the Commander in surprise. "Excuse me?"

She glared at him. "You deaf or something? I said, _you're on the ground team to Feros_. Get ready, we'll be dropping in one hour."

He narrowed his eyes at her back as she stalked to the elevator.

 _What the hell!?_

* * *

 **AN: As you can see, Garrus is going to be a pretty different character in this story.  
**

 **That means no Friendship!Garrus, no "Shepard is Garrus' morality compass" stuff, no fluff and _certainly_ no hate sex. **

**As for how Garrus and Anderson know each other so well, you'll have to wait to find out :)**


End file.
